Velasco fernandez



Aug. l1, l1959 J. VELASCO FERNANDEZ 2,899,545

i AUTOMATIC BARRIERvFOR RAILWAY CROSSING y Aug. 11, 1959 J. vELAsco FERNANDEZ 2,899,545

AUTOMATIC BARRIER FOR RAILWAY CROSSING Filed Sept. 16. 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTDRNEYS United States Patent AUTOMATIC BARRIER FOR RAILWAY CROSSING Jesus Velasco Fernandez, Santa Clare, Las Villas, Cuba Application September 16, 1957, Serial No. 684,280

1 Claim. (Cl. 246-127) This invention relates to railway equipment, and more particularly to an automatic barrier for use at railway crossings.

The object of the invention is to provide a barrier which is automatically operated when a train approaches a road or other crossing whereby vehicles or the like will be prevented from crossing the railroad tracks while a train is traveling therealong.

Another object of the invention is to provide an automatic barrier for a railroad track wherein the barrier includes a member that is mounted for movement into and out of blocking position with respect to a road crossing so that when a train is passing the crossing, vehicles will be prevented from crossing the tracks so that injury or damage to vehicles as well as injury to personnel will be prevented.

A vfurther object of the invention is to provide an automatic barrier for railroad tracks wherein a means is provided for moving the barrier down into blocking position when the train reaches a predetermined position, and wherein after the train has passed beyond the crossing, the barrier will be automatically elevated so as to permit normal tratlic through the crossing and over the railroad tracks.

A further object of the invention is to provide an automatic railroad crossing barrier which is extremely simple and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent during the course of the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, and in which like numerals are used to designate like parts throughout the same.

Figure l is a fragmentary top plan View illustrating the barrier of the present invention shown adjacent to the intersection of a crossing and railroad track.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2--2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 5.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating certain structural details of the assembly.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating one of the body members that support the conductor rod, and Figure 6 being taken on the line 6 6 of Figure 5.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the ,roller and mounting for the roller, this roller adapted to engage the conductor rod, and the view shown in Figure 7 being taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 4.

Figure 8 is an elevational view, with parts broken away and in section, showing one of the pumps.

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transversely beneath the rails 11. The numeral 13 indicates in broken lines in Figure 1 a cross which extends transversely with respect to the longitudinal axis of the track 10, and the present invention is directed to a means for selectively blocking the crossing 13 whereby vehicles, or the like will be prevented from crossing over the railroad track 10 when a train is traveling along the track.

The mechanism of the present invention includes a base 14 which is arranged adjacent the intersection of the crossing 13 and track 10, and extending upwardly from the base 14 is a support member 15. A movable barrier 16 is pivotally connected to the upper portion of the support member 15 through the medium of a pivot pin 17, Figure 3. A counterweight 18 is mounted on an end of the barrier 16 so that after the train passes, the counterweight 18 will automatically raise or elevate the barrier 16 whereby vehicles can again travel along the crossing 13 and cross the track 10.

Also mounted on the base 14 is an upstanding cylinder 19 which has a piston 20 movably mounted therein, and a rod 21 extends upwardly from the piston 20. The rod 21 projects through a bearing 22 which extends outwardly from the support member 15. Mounted on the rod 21 is a collar 23 which is connected to the rod 21 through the medium of a set screw 24. A link 25 has its lower end connected to the collar 23 through the medium of a pin 26, while the other end of the link 25 is connected to the barrier 16 by means of a pin 27. Thus, by introducing air under pressure into the lower portion of the cylinder 19, the piston 20 can be moved to thereby cause the barrier 16 to move from a substantially upward position to a horizontal position whereby the crossing 13 will be effectively blocked.

Supported by the barrier 16 is a signal light 28 which isv adapted to be suitably energized when a train is approaching so that persons will be warned of the approaching train. Furthermore, there is provided a Warning bell 29 which may be secured to the support member 15, and the warning bell 29 given an audible signal to further warn persons of the approaching train.V

Also supported by the base 14 is an electric motor 30 which is adapted to operate an air compressor 31 through the medium of an endless belt 32. A first conduit 33 extends from the compressor 31 to the cylinder 19 whereby air under pressure will be supplied from the compressor 31 to the cylinder 19. The conduit 33 is provided with a check valve 34 therein. A whistle 35 is associated with a valve mechanism 36, Figure 9, and the valve mechanism 36 is also connected to the conduit 33.

The apparatus of the present invention further includes a horizontally disposed conductor rod 37 which extends above a plurality of body members 38 and which is secured thereto, Figure 6. As shown in Figure 6, each of the body members 38 includes a strap 39 which is secured to the ties 12 through the medium of suitable securing elements 40. Y Extending upwardly from each strap 39 is a Figure 9 is a fragmentary sectional view showing the valve mechanism which is associated with the warning whistle.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a portion of a railroad trackway which includes the usual spaced apart rails 11 and ties 12 which extend casing 41 which has insulation 42 and 43 arranged therein. A partition 44 has a portion thereof interposed between the insulation 42 and 43, and a bolt 45 extends upwardly from the partition 44, the bolt 45 extending through a sleeve 46 which projects upwardly from a closure member 47 that is mounted on the casing 41. The upper end of the bolt 45 is secured to a cup-like member 48, and the plurality of cup-like members 48 are secured to the undersurface of the conductor rod 37.

Extending from the motor 30 to one of the rails 11 is an electrical wire 49, Figure l. The numeral 50 indicates aportion of a movable member such as a train, and the train or locomotive 50 includes a frame 51 which has a suitable source of electrical energy 52 thereon. The

' source of energy 52 may be a generator, transformer or thelike, and the movablemember or train 50 further includes an axle 53 which has a wheel 54 mounted thereon. As shown in Figure 5, the wheel 54 of the train is provided vwith an intermediate circular rib 55 which 4delines on 4opposite ysides thereot kcylindrical portions .56 and .57, for apurpose -tobe later described. A wire 58 leads `from the electrical energy source 52 tota member 59 which is electrically connected to the wheel `541ot=thegtrain. A wire 60 also leads from the electrical -energy source 52 to a bracket 61, -and'the bracketl -has a V`yoke 62Y.sec.ured thereto, Figure 4. The yoke 62 carries a pin 63 which has a roller 64 journaled thereon,v.and Vthe roller 64 is mounted ormovement along the conductor rod 37. As

shown in Figure 7, the roller-64 is provided with `anannularfgroovef65 which :engages .the lconductor 37,5and the roller 64.is further provided with circlarpinsulated strips 66 which vhelp prevent short circuiting. The yoke 62 is adapted Vto be secured tothe lower end ofthe bracket 61 through the medium of securing elements 67.

The apparatus of the present invention further includes a plurality of air pumps which are each indicated ge'nerally by the numeral 68. Each of the .pumps 68 includes a housing 69 which is provided with a plurality of fapertures -or openings 70 therein, Figure 8. Arranged within the housing 69 is awpartition 71 which defines within the housing a lower compartment 72 4and an upper compartment 73. A plunger or piston 74 is movablymountedin the lower compartment .72, and a stem 75 `'extends upwardly from the plunger 74 and .projects .through thepartition ,71. .A head 76 is mounted-on the upper end of each stem 75, and the .head 7.6 is adapted Ito -b'e engaged by theportion 57 of the wheel 54, as for exampleas shown in Figure 5. VA coil spring 77 is circurn'pcs'edon the stem '75, and a tube .78 extends upwardly from the [plunger 74 and Aprojects Vthrough the partition 71, therebeing Va check valve 7.9 on the upper end of the tube 78. The pumps 68 are adapted to'be secured to plates '80 which extend Ybetween adjacent ties 12 and which .are secured thereto. Branch conduits 81 extend outwardly `from the flower end of each of the pumps 68, and the branch conduits 81 have check valves 82 therein. "-I'he conduits llead'to a collector conduit 83, and the collector conduit '83 is connected tothe iirst conduit33 by means o'f alitting 84. In Fig- .ure 2 the numeral 85 'indicates the road 'bed or ground rwhich serves to support the railroad track, and thevarious conduits and conductorsmay be embedded in the vground 85, as for example as .shown by dottedlin'e's in Figure 2.

From the foregoing, it is apparent that there 4has lbeen provided a barrier .for use with railroad 'crossings 'such as the crossing 13. In use, normally the barrier 16 is in the raised position, `as for example as yshown in'Figurc 2 'so that there is no interferencewith `passagevof vehicular tratic along the the crossing or road 13whereby said vehicles can readily pass over the track'10. However, when a train approaches the crossing`13,the'following sequence of operations will take place. The trainr 'carries `the source of electrical energy 52 and this source'of electrical energy can ow rthrough'the wire 60, 'and :then through the bracket 61, and then through the roller 64, and this electrical energy passes .through the conductor l37^and into the motor 30. At the same time, the electrical circuitis completed through the wheel-54, from the `wire 58, so vthat the electrical energy will lhave a complete-circuitlbetween the rail 11 and ground wire'49. Thus the motor 30 will be actuated and this will Vcause'actuation offthe compressor 31. The compressor 31 'willbuild-up pressure yin the cylinder 19 so that 'the piston'20wi11'b e'raised and as the piston 20.is raised, the'rcd 21will move upwardly to whistle 35 is actuated by ,air pressure to give a further signal which serves as a waming device. The conductor rod 37 is supported on the plurality of body members 38 which are provided with the insulation 42 and 43 so as to prevent short cireuiting of the parts. As shown in Figure l there is arranged on each side of the crossing 13, a conductor 37 so that the barrier 16 will be actuated, regardless of which direction 4the train is traveling in. As a further safety precaution, the pumps 68 are provided, and the pumps 68 are adapted to be actuated by the portion L57 of the wheel 54. Thus, ,as shown in Figure 5 for example, it will'be seen that as the wheel 54 travels along the rail 11, the portion 57 ofthe wheel 54 will engage the head 76 to thereby move the plunger 74 downwardly whereby the spring 77 is compressed and this will force air out through the conduit 81 so that this air can pass through the fitting 84 and into the cylinder.19:for maintaining the .barrier 16 in down vposition a predetermined length of time.

The parts can be made of any suitable material and .in 'diiere'nt shapes or sizes. The various conduits can be provided with check valves wherever desired or required. For `example as shown in Figure l, the conduit -83 may Vbe provided with a check valve 86. The various parts such as the conduits may be arranged beneath the upper level of the 4g-round 85. Also, certain ofthe wires or conductors may be embedded in the ground. The valve 36 shown in Figure 9 and shown in Figure 3 is constructed so that the whistle 35 begins to sound a warning before .the Vbarrier `16 goes down, and this valve 36 insures that the whistle 35 -will' keep sounding while the barrier is in horizontal position, and when no further air is supplied to the cylinder 19, the valve 36 will permit air `pressure .from the `cylinder 19 to escape so that the weight 18 `can move'the barrier 16 upwardly. In.Figure.9, the numeral .87 Yindicates a tube or conduit that leads from a head piece to the whistle 35, and the piece 90 is provided with a passageway 88 whichcommunicates with a passageway 94 in a body piece 89. A set screw .91 serves to detachably connect 'the members .90 and 89 together. A collar 92 serves to connect the member 89 to a tube .93 which leads `to .the conduit 33, as vfor example as shown in `Figure 3. Thus, air from the tube ,93 can selectively pass through the passageway 94, -and' then through the opening 88 and Vthen through the tube l87 soas to sound the whistle .35. The whistle valve is a steady exit type of valve so that the whistle will sound when the .compressed air actuating means begins to operate. Check valves such as .thecheck valves 82 permit the onlpressed air -from the pumps 68 to .pass to the collecting .tube 83, and insure that the air cannot `pass. 'back into the pumps inadvertently. Similarly, the check valve v34 fadjacent the compressor 31 insures that the air will only pass in one direction through the conduit 33, and these Ivarious check valves insure that there will be .no acci dental loss of air pressure. l l

By means Vof the present invention, the road 13 Vwill be closed to tratlic when trains are approaching so that accidents 'will be avoided. The wheel of the train -acts as a conductor andcoacts with the rail to complete the circuit to the motor .whereby the compressor 31 is actuated, and the generator 52 is mounted on the moving vtrain 50.

In use, when the train approaches the crossing 13,.the yroller "64 engages the contact 37 and sincefthere are'two of the contacts 37 as yshown in Figure 1 the apparatus will be actuated Iregardless of the `direction of travel of the train. This engagement ofthe roller 64 with lthe contact 37 will cause electrical current to actuate the motor 30 so that .the .compressed .air from .the compressor 31 will actuate the piston 20 to thereby pivot the barrier 4V16, and after the train has safely .passed .beyond the crossing 13, the air pressure in the piston v19 can.be-dis charged out through the valve 36Aand through the whistle 35 whereby the counterweight 18 Iwillbe able to Vreturn 2th@ -barrier v16 to upright position. Thus, the `barrier operates automatically and safely. The barrier 16 will remain in down position for a predetermined period of time. A further safety precaution for actuating the barrier consists of the portion 57 of the wheel 54 which will engage the head 76 of the pump 68 whereby compressed air will be generated in the lower chamber or compartment 72 and this air will pass out through the conduit 81, and through the tube or conduit 83 and this compressed air will pass through the tting 84 and into the cylinder 19. Thus, the pumps 68 will function to supply compressed air to the cylinder 19 independently of the compressor 31 so that even though the motor 30 is not actuated, the pumps 68 will serve to supply the necessary compressed air. After the last train passes beyond the crossing and beyond the pumps 68, then no further air will be supplied to the cylinder 19 so that the barrier 16 can return to elevated position. The tube 78 and check valves 79 are arranged so that as the plunger or piston 74 is moved, the necessary air can enter the opening 70 and pass down through the opening 95 whereby this air can be forced out through the conduit 81.

The whistle 35 acts as a warning signal and indication that the barrier is about to close. The body members 38 serve as insulators for the electrical conductor 37. In the body member 38, the pin 45 is insulated electrically from the adjacent metal parts. The cup shaped member 48 serves to insure that foreign matter, water and the like will not enter the interior of the body member 38. The bracket 61 is an electrical conductor and is connected to the dynamo or generator 52 by means of the wire 60, and the bracket 61 can be made of spring metal so that it is slightly yieldable. Insulation 96 is arranged on opposite sides of the upper portion of the bracket 61, and bolts 97 extend through the insulation 96 for connecting the bracket 61 to the frame 51 of the train 50. The insulated member 66 on the roller 64 shown in Figure 7 serves to insure that short circuiting will not occur as for example when the roller 64 contacts the pavement or the like. The warning bulb Z8 is adapted to be energized by electrical current coming from the train and similarly the bell 29 is adapted to be actuated. The valve 36 acts as a regulating valve as previously described. The spring 77 serves to return the head 76 and plunger 74 to their raised position, after the wheel 54 passes beyond the pumps 68.

The air pumps 68 are arranged fairly close together in a row close to one of the rails 11, and these pumps are connected to a common conduit which leads to the cylinder 19.

The barrier may be installed on the edge of a road, highway or street, whereby vehicular trac will be stopped when a train is passing. Also, two barriers may be used if desired and these barriers may be operated simultaneously by means of the compressed air. The parts may be adjustable so that they can be regulated as desired. The whistle 35 serves to give warning that the barrier is being lowered.

As previously described, the electrical circuit will be completed to the motor 30 through the previously described structure whereby air pressure will be generated to move the barrier 16 downwardly. As previously described, air pressure will also be generated by means of the portion 57 of the wheel 54 engaging the pumps 68 so that the barrier 16 will remain down when the train is passing the crossing.

As previously described, the whistle valve which is shown partially in Figure 9 is a steady exit valve for air and the device is constructed so that the whistle will sound as soon as the means for producing compressed air starts to actuate. This can be regulated by means of a suitable screw so that the amount of air being discharged can be caused to be less than the amount of air entering from the compressed air producing means and this apparatus or part of the device can be regulated so as to operate as desired in conjunction with the barrier or other parts.

The wheel 54 is one of the regular wheels of the train which is provided with the portion 57 thereon for actuating the members 68 as previously described. The pumps such as the pumps 68 are adapted to be operated independently of the compressor 31 so that compressed air will be provided for operating the barrier before the train gets to the crossing. In other words, by having two separate means for supplying compressed air to the piston 20, namely, the compressor 31, and the pumps 68, it will be seen that a safety measure or precaution is provided Which will insure that the barrier 16 will be operated, even though a failure may occur in the compressor 31 or in the pumps 68. Both of these compressed air supplying means operate before the train Igets to the crossing and these means are constructed so that the barrier will be kept down while the train is passing the crossing. These means are capable of independent operation with respect to each other. Thus, lthe barrier can be actuated by the compressor 31, or else it can be actuated by means of air supplied by the pumps 68. Furthermore, if desired, only one of the air supply means may be used without the other or, as previously stated, both air supply means may be used simultaneously as desired. Furthermore, the row of pumps on one side of the crossing are installed parallel to and close to the rail so -that when the train passes the crossing, the means that operates on the pumps and makes contact with the member 37, will not engage the pumps and contact 37 on the opposite side of the crossing.

While I have shown a preferred form of my invention, I reserve all rights to such modiiications as properly fall within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

In a device of the character described, a railroad track, a crossing extending at right angles to said track, a blocking means mounted for movement into and out of blocking relation with respect to said crossing, means for automatically operating said blocking means, said blocking means including a base arranged contiguous to the intersection of the crossing .and track, a support member extending upwardly from said base, a barrier pivotally connected to said support member, a signal light carried by said barrier, a warning bell connected to said support member, a cylinder supported on said base, a piston movably mounted in said cylinder, a rod extending upwardly from said piston, a link connecting said rod to said barrier, a counterweight connected to an end of said barrier, a motor supported on said base, an air compressor operated by said motor, a rst conduit extending from said compressor to said cylinder, a whistle connected to said first conduit, a plurality of body members secured to said track, a conductor rod extending above said body members and supported thereby, said conductor rod being connected to said motor, a conductor extending from said motor to one of said rails, a movable member mounted for movement along said track and including a frame, a wheel connected to said frame for engagement with said rail, a plurality of pumps for engagement by the wheel, conduit means connecting said pumps to said rst named conduit, a source of electrical energy on the frame of the movable member, means connecting said source of electrical energy to said wheel, a bracket extending from said frame and electrically connected to said source of electrical energy, and a roller mounted for movement along said conductor rod, said roller being operatably connected to said bracket.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 957,868 Corrigan May 17, 1910 1,388,101 Simone Aug. 16, 1921 1,599,667 Maxwell Sept. 14, 1926 FOREIGN PATENTS 276,374 Great Britain Apr. 19, 1928 

